ALLERGY SUFFERERS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING THIS YEAR. POLLEN COUNTS ARE WAY UP... AND IT PROMISES TO GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER. PEGGY BREIT IS LIVE TO EXPLAIN. PEGGY... FIRST IT WAS THE TREES, NOW IT'S GRASS, LATER ON... IT WILL BE WEEDS. AND ALL OF IT IS MAKING PEOPLE MISERABLE. AN ALLERGIST AT K-U HOSPITAL TELLS US OUR STRANGE SPRING WEATHER CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROBLEM. EARLY WARM DAYS, FOLLOWED BY SNOW, CONFUSED TREES... ALL MADE FOR A POLLEN BOMBARDMENT. ALLERGY CLINICS ARE SEEING MORE PATIENTS THAN EVER. THE MOST COMMON COMPLAINTS... RUNNY NOSES AND ITCHY EYES. AND THOSE SYMPTOMS CAN BE ALL DAY, THEY CAN BE BETTER WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE BUT IF YOU'RE ALLERGIC TO POLLEN THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY WORSE WHEN YOU'RE SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS AS PEOPLE OFTEN ARE DOING YARD WORK AND WITH SPORTS ACTIVITIES. THIS YEAR'S BEEN PRETTY BAD, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD MORE SYMPTOMS THIS YEARS. DR GIERER SAYS THERE ARE MEDICATIONS THAT CAN HELP YOU... SEE AN ALLERGIST TO GET THE RIGHT KIND. ALSO, SHE SAYS: CHANGE YOUR FURNACE FILTER FREQUENTLY... SHOWER AFTER YOU'VE BEEN OUTSIDE TO WASH THE POLLEN AWAY... KEEP YOUR CAR WINDOWS CLOSED WHILE DRIVING... EVEN WEAR A FACE MASK WHILE OUTSIDE IF Y SYMPTOMS ARE REALLY BAD.